The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to reduce environmental impact associated with hazardous waste so as to maintain a healthy environment in the country.
The Minister of Environment, Balare Lawal gave the assurance at a Training Workshop on the End-of-Life Management of Air Conditioners and Refrigerants held at Government Technical College, Kano on Wednesday.
The Minister represented by the Director, National Ozone Office, Engr. Idris Abdullahi, said it was in line with this commitment that the Ministry in collaboration with Energy Commission of Nigeria and United Nations Environment Programme with support from the Clean Cooling Collaborative organized the workshop.
According to him, the workshop was designed to enhance the capacity of relevant stakeholders to sustainably manage the end-of-life components of air conditioners.
He said the workshop would also strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to develop and promote initiatives that will mitigate the environmental and health risks associated with used Acs and educate stakeholders on the measures and management strategies to mitigate the risks associated with unhealthy disposal of used ACs.
“Proper disposal of old air conditioners is critically important for environmental protection and human health.
“With proper management of end of life of these equipment and other electrical and electronic wastes, there are profound environmental benefits such as Ozone Layer Protection and Climate Change Mitigation,” the Minister said.
He, therefore, charged the participants to make the best use of the opportunity stressing, “Your work will not only influence national standards but also contribute to our global commitment to reduce Greenhouse Gases and combat climate change.
“Together, we can ensure that obsolete air-conditioning equipment is properly processed, and create a future where energy-efficient and climate-friendly air conditioning technologies become a standard in Nigeria”.
He appreciated the Clean Cooling Collaborative for providing financial support for the implementation of the sustainable cooling project and acknowledged the excellent collaboration with the ECN and the UNEP in the implementation of this project.
In his remark, Head of Energy Transition and Linkages Energy, Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Shehu Mustafa said the workshop was aimed at improving the skills of all relevant stakeholders to sustainably manage the end-of-life components of air conditioners.
“Also, the objective is to strengthen the capacity of key stakeholders to develop and promote initiatives that will mitigate the environmental and health risks associated with harmful disposal of used air conditioners.
“With an average lifespan of ACs around 12 years and many units already in homes, businesses, and public buildings, hundreds of ACs reach their end of life every day.
“The waste from used ACs, if not managed properly, is an environmental, health, and climate problem, considering the refrigerants contained in the system which typically leak into the atmosphere and waste materials.,” he added.
